Ivy's Journey (Book 1) A Warrior Cats Fanfiction

Chapter Two

Ivykit bounded across the clearing, her chest swelling with pride. Today she was going to become an apprentice!

"Ivykit, come back! Your fur is all tangled and matted! You have to look good!" Reddawn called after her.

Ivykit slumped and slowly turned around, taking small steps back towards her mother. Reddawn gave her a few thorough licks, and then they joined the crowd that had gathered.

"Ivykit, Silentkit, come up here." Stormstar spoke in a baritone voice. Ivykit bounded up to the huge log her father, the clan leader, sat on. Silentkit trailed behind her, not used to all the attention. Stormstar gave each kit an affectionate lick behind the ears and started to speak.

"Ivykit and Silentkit, you have reached the age of six moons, and it is time for you to be apprenticed. Ivykit, from this day on, until you receive your warrior name, you will be known as Ivypaw. Your mentor will be Rayheart. I hope Rayheart will pass down all he knows to you."

Ivykit purred. She liked Rayheart. He was kind, and popular in Darkclan for his loyalty and his looks. He was a young warrior that Stormstar trusted. Rayheart joined Ivypaw on the log and touched noses with her, his eyes full of friendliness.

"I'm going to be the best apprentice ever!" Ivykit whispered to him.

"I'm sure you will," he purred.

"Silentkit, from this day on, until you reach your warrior name, you will be known as Silentpaw. Your mentor will be Cherryclaw." Stormstar continued. Silentpaw shyly touched noses with the pale red she cat.

"Silentpaw! Ivypaw! Silentpaw! Ivypaw!"

"Are we going to see the territory?" Ivypaw asked as she, Silentpaw, Rayheart, and Cherryclaw walked out of the clearing.

"Yes! First, we are going to the Great Oak Tree. It has been here for as long as Starclan has, and is home to the most prey in Darkclan in Leaf Bare." Rayheart said as they approached a huge oak tree.

"Woah..." Ivypaw gasped, as she stared up at it, eyes wide. "It's huge!" She couldn't even see the top.

Rayheart purred and nodded. "It sure is!"

They walked some more and came to a stop where a pungent smell filled the air.

"What's that smell?!" Ivypaw asked, scrunching up her nose.

"That's Deepclan. Can you hear the river?" The cats fell silent and Ivypaw's ears pricked as she could pick up the faint rushing of a fast-flowing body of water.

They continued their trek where they came to more borders. This time, it was Sunclan. "Sunclan is Darkclan's biggest rivals. Sunclan constantly tries to steal the Flame Cave- a cave with a pool in it that is heated by underground lava and therefore is warm. Don't worry- most of the time, they lose. But Sunclan are smart thinkers, so they attack when the clan is weakest." Rayheart explained.

"When I'm a warrior, the clan will never be weak!" Ivypaw meowed. Rayheart's whiskers twitched in amusement. "Sure..."

"Then there is Sandclan. A clan full of cats that are rough and fierce and show no mercy- though they do follow the warrior code. The cats from Sandclan are harsh. Their territory is a desert that only has one main stream flowing through the middle of it. They are skinny and sly too, known for being coy and mischievous."

Ivypaw was bursting with energy as she learned about the other clans. She was finally an apprentice! She couldn't imagine the fun she was going to have!

"Come on, let's start to head back to camp," Rayheart called to the two apprentices.

"Awwww! I want to see more!" Ivypaw complained. Rayheart purred.

"Tomorrow we'll learn how to stalk, and you need a good sleep and a full belly to do that!"

"Stalking?" Silentpaw meowed. It was the first work she'd said since they had headed off. Ivypaw's sister was very shy around other cats. Cherryclaw nodded.

"It's okay. We'll all learn together," She meowed, glancing at the shocked look on her apprentice's face.

When they got back to camp, Ivypaw picked out a mouse to eat. Ivypaaw ate by herself. She watched as patrols arrived from hunting. She was so excited to be a warrior.

Ivypaw walked over to a brown tom with deep green eyes. He was eating his prey alone in front of the medicine cat den.

Since Ivypaw wanted to know the other apprentices, she introduced herself.

"Hi. I'm Ivypaw. I became an apprentice today!" She meowed.

The tom glanced at her, and a friendly look twinkled in his eyes. "I know, I watched your ceremony! I'm Pinepaw, the medicine cat apprentice."

Ivypaw looked at him and sat down. "What's it like training to be a medicine cat?" she asked, curious. Pinepaw looked at her for a moment. He had never met a more inquisitive apprentice.

"Well, at first, I trained to be a warrior. I was eager, like you. And then my mother got injured in a battle against a fox, and Leafshine couldn't save her. So I decided to become a medicine cat so I can help others not feel that pain."

Ivypaw blinked sympathetically. She couldn't imagine what her life would be without her mother, Reddawn.

"That must've been hard." She meowed.

"It was," Pinepaw admitted. "But I learned to get over losses and focus on the present." Ivypaw nodded at his wise words.

"Anyway, would you like me to teach you some battle moves, seeing you still have so much energy?" he asked.

"Really?! I thought you were a medicine cat!" Ivypaw meowed.

"I am, but as a medicine cat, you still have to learn to defend yourself!" Ivypaw nodded eagerly, and they walked to the edge of the clearing.

Pinepaw taught Ivypaw how to stalk and leap, and then a few decent battle moves. They practiced until dusk. They were both out of breath.

"Thanks so much!" Ivypaw gushed. "

"No problem! It was fun, and now you can surprise your mentor."

"Yes! Rayheart will be so shocked!" Pinpaw seemed to pause and he tensed for a moment, before continuing.

"Yes..." He agreed vaguely.

"You okay?" Ivypaw asked, a bit surprised. Pinepaw seemed to snap out of the trance.

"Sorry! Yeah, I'm fine. Let's get back to camp before they start wondering where we are."